Rip City Project
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From Petrie to Glide to Dame: The All-Star history of the Portland Trail Blazers

By Matt George Moore

Geoff Petrie, player for the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team.
Geoff Petrie, player for the Portland Trail Blazers basketball team. /
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LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 7: The Portland Trail Blazers wear an emblem on their jerseys honoring the memory of former Trail Blazers player Maurice Lucas during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES – NOVEMBER 7: The Portland Trail Blazers wear an emblem on their jerseys honoring the memory of former Trail Blazers player Maurice Lucas during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on November 7, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

MAURICE LUCAS

Few players in Trail Blazers history are as beloved and respected as Maurice Lucas. Acquired in the 1976 trade that sent Geoff Petrie to the Atlanta Hawks, Lucas was drafted by the Blazers with the second pick in the ABA dispersal draft.

Lucas, who played college ball at Marquette, made the first of three consecutive NBA All-Star teams during the Blazers’ championship season of 1976-1977. Lucas was nicknamed “The Enforcer,” primarily due to an altercation with the 76ers’ Darryl Dawkins in Game 2 of the NBA Finals that season.

During the 1977 playoffs, Lucas averaged 21.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.2 blocks per game.

The Blazers retired Lucas’ No. 20 jersey in 1988, and he became an assistant coach for the franchise.

Lucas, an absolute legend in Rip City, died on October 31, 2010 at the age of 58.

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton is named for Lucas.

And that brings us to our next Trail Blazers All-Star.